In and around Jerusalem

The neighborhoods of Nachla'ot were some of the first residential areas to be built outside the Old City walls and they still retain their old-world charm. There was a strong feeling of community in these new estates and many of the people who lived here remember this very fondly. The walk ends at the famous, bustling Mahane Yehuda market. 

Distance: Just over 5 Km

Time: About 2½ hours

Type of walk: Circular

Difficulty: An easy walk on paved roads and alleys. Suitable for strollers and wheelchair, with some adjustment for steps towards the end. In fact, you are likely to meet a lot of strollers on this walk!

Starting point and end: The junction of Agripas St. and King George St. between the pizza and falafel stores. The walk ends by the light rail stop for Mahane Yehuda.

Driving directions and parking. Enter “Mahane Yehuda Market” into Waze and click on “Mahane Yehuda Market Agripas Street”. There is an indoor parking lot beneath the Clal Building on Ki'ach St. and an outdoor parking lot opposite the Klal Building on Ki'ach St.

 



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OVERVIEW

HOW WEST JERUSALEM BEGAN

Looking at the few original single-story houses here, it is difficult to imagine that these neighborhoods were once regarded as having superior housing. However, compared to living conditions in the Old City, where almost all the Jews in Jerusalem lived in the late Ottoman period, these neighborhoods were very upscale.

The Jewish Quarter in the Old City had become a difficult place to live in. It was crowded, unhealthy and expensive. Visionaries such as Sir Moses Montefiore and the builder Joseph Rivlin saw clearly that Jews needed to build outside the Old City. But how could they persuade people to leave the security of the Old City walls when it was dangerous to live outside with bandits and animals of prey? The answer was superior housing in gated communities that functioned almost as mini-fortresses. Connected single-story houses were built around a rectangular courtyard, and entrance to the courtyard was through gates that were locked at night. The center courtyard was an open space that functioned as an extension of people's home. This led to a very communal type of living. The houses were small with just one or two rooms, but the set-up was spacious compared to what existed in the Old City.

The first gated community to be constructed outside the Old City was Mishkanot Sha’ananim, which was built in 1857 by Sir Moses Montefiore not far from the Old City. Other residential areas followed in the late 1800's along Jaffa Rd. which was then the major thoroughfare into the city - neighborhoods such as the early sections of Nachla'ot, Mazkeret Moshe and Ohel Moshe. These estates were built with Montefiore funds and were therefore name after him. In actuality, philanthropists and contracters were creating the "modern" West Jerusalem. (See also the article on Sir Moses Montefiore on the webpage "Yemin Moshe to Nahalat Shiva").

"Nachla'ot" means quarters or estates, and additional estates were subsequently built in the area between Agripas St. and Bezalel St. They were distinguished from each other on the basis of whether their residents were Ashkenazi or Sephardi, and in some estates by country of origin. Since people feel most comfortable praying in a synagogue that reflects the customs of their country of origin, there is such a high density of synagogues in Nachla'ot. There used to be even more synagogues here, but many closed as their congregants moved away.

When these neighborhoods were first built there were no municipal taxes since there was no Jerusalem municipality and residents were responsible for the communal expenses of their own quarter. There was also no piped water, and water was stored in cisterns within the central square. These have been covered over, but their former location in the center of the streets can often be identified.

By the 1930’s, these small single-story houses were no longer attractive and people began moving to larger properties in other parts of Jerusalem. Nachla’ot began to decline as a residential area and a high percentage of the residents remaining were elderly and/or welfare cases. Efforts were made in the early 1990's to revitalize this area by renovating the homes and adding additional stories, but it took another fifty years or so for people to appreciate the old-world charm and intimate nature of these neighborhoods. 

Nachla’ot is now a trendy place to live in, and as you stroll through these old-world streets and alleys you will see a fascinating mixture of English-speaking olim, yeshiva students, haredim, secular Israelis - and tourists.     

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 The walk: 

 

• Walk along Agripas St, which is here a pedestrian walkway. Opposite the traffic circle turn right and enter Harav Haim Elboher Alley through the archway. You will soon come to the sixth neighborhood built outside the Old City, Even Yisrael , that was constructed in the late 1870’s.

Many of the houses here have a dilapidated look, as they have not undergone the renovations that typify much of Nachla’ot. Nevertheless, few people know about this quarter, and its square is a pleasant oasis of quiet just a short distance from bustling King George St. There are photos and descriptions of some of the original inhabitants of Even Yisrael on the right-hand side of the tiled circle.

• Exit Even Yisrael by the alley on the far left (but not the exit to Jaffa St). Turn right onto Mashiya Baruchof St. by the orphanage and look down the first road on your left. The second door on the left of this street is the non-used entrance to the synagogue Achdut Yisrael , the synagogue of former fighters of the Jewish underground movement Lechi (the current entrance is round the back). It is the only synagogue I know of that includes pictures of weapons as part of its interior decoration! It is not open during the week, but is popular on Shabbat. Retrace your steps back along Mashiya Boruchof St. and head in the direction of Agripas St. Cross Agripas St.and turn right.

• Take the second left into Mishkanot St. under the brick arch. As you walk along this street you will see on your right the outer walls of the houses of the Mishkenot Yisrael Quarter . This housing estate was erected in the 1870’s to 1880’s. You can enter into the quarter's courtyard from Yacov Berav St., the first turning on your right.

The name of this quarter Mishkenot Yisrael means "dwelling places of Israel" and comes from the Biblical verse “How goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel” (Numbers 24:5). The Mishkenot Yisrael Society was established by Joseph Rivlin in 1875. Rivlin not only built the properties but had the difficult job of persuading people to live in a place that was generally regarded as being unsafe. It was originally occupied by religious Ashkenazi Jews. The Mishkenot Yisrael Society needed to be helped financially by the Sir Moses Montefiore Testimonial Fund in order to complete the project.

As you enter into this quarter, look at two elevations on the road in front of you. Beneath them are water cisterns. This is how people got water before they were hooked up to the water mains, each family in the estate receiving an allocation. The cisterns were opened when it rained so that surface water could drain in and closed afterwards. They are now completely closed over for safety reasons. On the wall opposite the furthest cistern is a communal oven. This was fueled by charcoal, and families used it for cooking and for keeping food warm on Shabbat. 

• Continue along Mishkanot St. and take the next turning on your right into Rabbi Arye St. At the end of this block you will come to the very modest home of the well-known Rabbi Arye Levin  (1885-1969).

Reb Arye was the "mashgiach" (supervisor) and teacher at the nearby Talmud Torah (yeshiva) of Etz Haim. His fame came from his numerous good deeds, his humble manner, and his being the ‘Rabbi of the Prisoners”, the chaplain for prisoners of the Jewish underground incarcerated by the British. Each Shabbat he would visit these and other Jewish prisoners to pray with them and teach Torah. He would also transfer messages to them from their families and deliver their replies throughout Jerusalem. This and his other charitable activities very much endeared him to the people of Jerusalem. He lived very humbly and his apartment consisted of no more than a single corridor containing a bed of box crates and a table separated from the kitchen by a partition. After the 1948 War of Independence, he founded Yeshiva Beit Aryeh in his courtyard, and this yeshiva still exists today. 

• Continue on Rabbi Arye St. past Shomron St. You are now walking past the outer walls of the neighborhood Maskeret Moshe Quarter . After passing the second-hand clothes store, turn right into Shirizli St.  

You are now in the courtyard of the Mazkeret Moshe Quarter, which was founded in 1882 by the Sir Moses Montefiore Testimonial Fund. The art gallery, kindergarten, soccer field and community center are later additions to the neighborhood, and from an architectural perspective fit in rather poorly, although they are no doubt appreciated by the residents.  

Sir Moses Montefiore retired from the Board of Deputies of British Jewry on his 90^th birthday, and as a parting gift his friends established in his honor the Sir Moses Montefiore Testimonial Fund. Its aim was to assist something very dear to Montefiore's heart - the development of Jewish settlement in Palestine. Its first activity was to help the Mishkenot Yisrael Society complete that quarter, and it also bought from them an adjacent plot of land for this new quarter, the Mazkeret Moshe Quarter, that would bear Montefiore’s name in perpetuity.

It was an Ashkenazi neighborhood and when built was regarded as super-modern. This is no longer very evident, but initially the houses were only single-story, the additional stories being added later. Like the other neighborhoods in this area, this quarter was an independent entity and money was collected for maintenance and other amenities of the estate. It was not until 1905 that these functions were taken over by the Jerusalem municipality. 

• Continue to the end of Shirizli St. and then turn left onto HaKarmel St. Almost immediately you will see an alley on your right leading to Agripas St. Turn down this alley. Above the archway facing Agripas St. is a testimonial to Sir Moses Montefiore. Now turn back to HaKarmel St.and turn right to pass the colorful facade of the Sephardi synagogue Hesed VeRachamim . 

What is a Sephardi synagogue doing in an Ashkenazi neighborhood you may ask? This building was formerly a pub and was bought by a Sephardi for Sephardim working in the area to pray in. Like many Sephardi synagogues it has very rich decors both inside and out. The facade is fairly recent and shows a lamp, the Torah, the symbols of the 12 tribes, and the words of the poem from Proverbs "A woman of valor who can find."

• Continue past Mazqeret Mosheh St. and head towards the courtyard of the third neighborhood to be built in Nachla'ot, the Ohel Moshe Quarter .

Jerusalem's Sephardi community also requested help from the Sir Moses Montefiore Testimonial Fund to establish a Sephardi neighborhood in this area, and they were provided with a plot of land and a loan. The project was completed in 1887 and a plaque commemorating this event was placed above the gate to the estate on Agripas St. On the outer walls of some of the houses are photos and descriptions of the families who once lived here, including that of Yitzhak Navon who was the fifth president of the State of Israel from 1978 to 1983. He was a Sephardi, born in this quarter, and was the first president of Israel born in this country. Previous presidents were born in Russia. As well as being a politician and academic, he was also an accomplished author, and his well-known play "Bustan Sephardi" (Sephardi Orchard) is about reminiscences of his childhood in Ohel Moshe during the 1930's.

•  Turn right onto HaHermon St. to view the Moses Montefiore plaque on top of the archway facing Agripas St.

• Turn back along HaHermon St., crossing HaKarmel St. and passing the Beit Avraham and Ohel Sarah Synagogue  on the right. This synagogue was founded by Jews from Greece and contains ritual objects from Greek Jewish communities destroyed in the Holocaust. Continue past a quiet garden on the left, and walk over the covered cisterns. 

• Take the second left, and then first right onto Ohel Moshe St. One intersection before the end of the street, turn left onto the continuation of Rabbi Arye St. You will pass the Great Synagogue Ohel Moshe  named after Moses Montefiore. This was completed in 1887 and for some years was the only Sephardi synagogue outside the Old City. 

• Turn right on Mazqeret Mosheh St. and continue until the end of this street. In front of you is the Batei Brodie Quarter  built in 1903. You may wish to peep into its private courtyard. 

This quarter contains a different type of building project than what we have seen up to now. It is one of seven haredi neighborhoods built after those financed with Montefiore's funds. They were financed from outside Israel, and were more spacious than the earlier quarters. This particular quarter was financed by a wealthy Jew from Warsaw, Rav Yaakov Yosef Brodie. He had no children and he financed this project to eternalize his name. He stipulated in its charter that the houses be used only for poor Torah scholars from the Perushim (non-Hassidic) community. This type of singularity was the rule in those days, and was important because of the financial and social support it provided people. 

• Turn right on HaTavor St. At the end of the street, turn left onto Ezra Refael St. At the end of this street turn right onto Rama St., and then take the first left onto Shilo St. 

• Turn into the first street on your right, which is Be'er Sheva St. You are now in the beautiful Nahalat Zion Quarter . Immediately on your left is the famous Ades Synagogue of Aleppo . 

This neighborhood was founded in 1891 by Abraham Antebi, director of the Alliance Israelite Universelle in Jerusalem. It contained low-income housing, and families paid for their home in installments. Things have changed! Most of the homes in this square have been renovated and are far from being low income.

The Ades Synagogue was built in 1901. This neighborhood had a very diverse population, which included a large number of Syrians from Aleppo. They provided the initiative for the synagogue, and the wealthy Ades family from Aleppo provided the funding.

Many visitors visit this synagogue because of its beautiful interior décor. It contains a mural of the Twelve Tribes of Israel painted at the beginning of the 20th century by Ya'akov Stark, a teacher at the then newly formed Bezalel Art Institute. However, to enter the synagogue, you will need to come at prayer time or to have made a prior arrangement.

• Walk through this beautiful neighborhood with its trees, shrubs and flowers in the central courtyard and gardens. Continue on the right side of the road to the very end of Be'er Sheba St. and follow Tekoa St. as it curves to the right. Turn right opposite the Keter Torah Synagogue onto Givon St. and walk up the series of steps. 

• Take the third street on the left onto Rechov Ovadiah Someh. You are now in the Neve Shalom neighborhood founded by Iranian Jews in 1896. Look at #11, which is the Beit Yitzchak Synagogue . This Kurdish synagogue was founded in 1894. If it is open for services, take a look inside to view its decorations. Otherwise, look through the windows. 

• Continue straight ahead until you come to Agripas St. and turn right on this street. You will soon see the famous Mahane Yehuda market  (“the shuk”) on the other side of the road. 

This market arose initially for the residents of Nachla’ot and has been evolving ever since. Arabs would come here to sell their produce. By the 1920’s, the place had become so unsanitary that the British ordered the vendors to leave. However, a loan was arranged and a more acceptable market was developed.

It is now a magnetic place. By day, it’s a fruit and vegetable market with stalls, other stores, restaurants, bars, many shoppers, and lots of tourists. Come the evening and its character changes completely. It comes to life again, but this time the bars, restaurants, cafes and musical performances take over. In contrast to many other big cities throughout the world, and even cities in Israel, the atmosphere here is casual, authentic and very friendly.

• Cross Agripas St. and take the first left onto Machane Yehuda St., the main thoroughfare of the uncovered part of the Mahane Yehuda Market. Follow your interests, but if you would like some direction, do the following:

• Immediately, take the turning on your right into the covered part of the market. Then take the second turning on the left. Just after some restaurants is the Mahane Yehuda Market synagogue  on the right. The times of prayer are noted outside.

• At the end of this street turn right and then left onto Eytz Khayim St. This is the main thoroughfare of the covered part of the market. 

• Just before the end of this street, turn left into an alley between two vegetable/fruit stalls. You are now in the Georgian Market , so-called because the stalls are owned by people formerly from Georgia. Follow the alley to the left and then take the first right and you will be back on Machane Yehuda St.

• Turn right and you will soon reach Jaffa St. The light rail stop for Mahane Yehuda is close by to the left.

 

Nearby places of interest:

Pomeranz Bookseller. If you haven't met any friends from your home town on Ben Yehuda St, you might well meet them at Pomeranz's at 5 Be'eri St. This bookstore has one of the largest, if not the largest selection in the world of English-language Judaica under one roof. Most of the books for sale have a Jewish or Israeli bend. 

Gusk Katif Museum at 5 Sha'arei Tsedek St. is not far from the Shuk. It has several rooms with photos and there are two 15 to 20-minute movies. Both movies are in Hebrew, but the main movie has English subtitles and the other has Hebrew subtitles. By the end of your visit you will appreciate the Jewish connection to ancient Gaza, what Israel gave up when it withdrew from the Gaza Strip ($60 million of agricultural exports and 10% of Israel's agricultural production), what the people of Gush Katif gave up when Israel withdrew, and how those who refused to go were forceably evacuated in October 2005. Open Sunday to Thursday 10.00 AM-5.00 PM, and Friday 10.00 AM-1.00 PM. Admission is 25 NIS. Children under age 8 are free. Their phone number is (02) 625-5456.

Nachla'ot can be difficult to capture on camera since it's such a hodgepodge of buildings. But it's this hodgepodge that constitutes its charm.

 

Rabbi Arye Levine's home. There are numerous stories about Reb Aryeh, and each one is more inspiring than the next. 

 

This main road shows the layout of two estates on each side of the road. Each quarter was a gated community in the form of a rectangle. The houses were initially single story, although additions have been made to most of them.

 

If the synagogue is open, it's well well worth viewing the mural of the Twelve Tribes in the Ades Synagogue of Allepo in the Nahalot Zion Quarter.